Wednesday, November 21, 2012

Opening for geologist in Coronado National Forest

Our colleagues at the US Forest Service advise that are advertising for a Geologist in Tucson, Arizona, as part of the Coronado National Forest. The information we got says the beginning annual salary is $48,529. If the person hired spends their entire career in that job, which is rare, the salary would end up at $76,327. That assumes that there are no cost of living adjustments made at future times, of course. Federal employment includes the option to take on some good health insurance with several different choices available. There’s also life insurance available, as well as dental and vision. Employment also comes with the option to contribute to the “Thrift Fund,” which is the federal employees’ version of a 401K. The first 4% or 5% receives an employer matching contribution, and there are several fund options. The notice being circulated follows below:

The Coronado National Forest (CNF) will soon be advertising a permanent, full‐time GS‐1350‐9/11. The purpose of this Outreach Notice is to determine the potential applicant pool for this position and to establish the appropriate recruitment method and area of consideration for the advertisement. If you are interested in being considered for this position, complete the outreach response form below and send it to Mindy Vogel (msvogel@fs.fed.us / 520‐388‐8327) by close of business December 28, 2012. For additional information on this position, please contact Mindy Vogel.

This outreach is for a geologist / minerals administrator that will serve 5 Ranger Districts out of the Supervisor’s Office and have a primarily workload in locatable minerals administration. The duties will include a combination of both field and office work in support of resource management activities related to minerals and geology. The position will work directly under the supervision of the GS‐12 Forest Geologist/CMA in Tucson, AZ. The incumbent should have basic knowledge of the mining industry and the permitting process, including NEPA; however, the incumbent will receive a combination of on‐the‐job training, self‐study and formal classroom training. Tucson is an exciting place to work as a geologist with numerous large mines in the vicinity and a university with a great geology program.

DUTIES WILL INCLUDE:
Working closely with miners on all phases of exploration, development, mining, and reclamation. On the CNF, this will include a heavy workload in locatable minerals (placer and hard rock mining of gold, silver, copper, and molybdenum) with some salable minerals (decorative stone, limestone and marble). Provide the public/miners with necessary information regarding mining laws, Federal and State regulations, and Forest Service policy. Keep the public/miners informed of changes in the regulations and laws.

Performs review of Notices of Intent (NOI) and mining Plans of Operation (POO) while working with line officers to generate responses under legal timeframes. Serves as an Interdisciplinary Team Member within the NEPA process, conducts public and internal scoping, and prepares environmental documents. Coordinates with regulatory agencies in addressing other federal and state requirements. Computes reclamation bonds and monitors all operations to ensure bonds are sufficient as the operation progresses on the ground.

Conducts independent field mapping and inspections of mining operations to ensure they are in compliance with the plan of operations, the forest plan, and applicable laws and regulations. Operations with specific monitoring needs such as water quality are sampled and monitored in cooperation with resource specialists. On the ground field administration includes daily contact with operators and members of the public. Works with miners and other resource specialists to ensure plans of operation are conducted in an environmentally sound manner.

Works with the Forest Geologist to take appropriate action when miners are in non‐compliance with their plan. Office work will include: generating reports (including field notes, maps and digital photos); working with basic spreadsheets (MS Excel); generating maps using ArcGIS; inputting mineral data into national database; literature review; and organization of mining plans of operation project files.

Other duties, as assigned, could include such tasks as working with abandoned mine land closures, identification and assessment of geohazards, cave resource advisory, preparation of mineral material reports, responding to Congressional inquiries on mining activities, assisting with mineral withdrawals, and more.